Djeclipse's 3 x 8 journal....

[djeclipse]

Here is a link to my previous 5x5 journal.

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=471637&page=1&pp=20

It has all my diet and progress info in it.

I'm back after taking 6 days off form lifting. My lower back feels a lot better, but still not 100%, i’d say like 95%.

I am down to 177.5lbs or so BW, that's about 20lbs total BW loss. I look and feel much better, my gut has gone from 40" to 36.5".

For a while I've been contemplating changing the rep scheme up a little and I think now is the time. I will try a 3 x 8 instead of the 5x5.

1. The weights will be lighter so my lower back will have more time to heal/ get stronger.

2. I should be out of the gym faster a it is the summer and I need my tan .

I am not sure what to do with wed though. I think I will stay away from deads for a while and was thinking of subbing in powercleans for deads. Is this ok or should I really try to keep deads in there.

With the deads I think my lower back needs at least a day to heal and it's not really getting that with playing soccer the next day. I think that was the cause of the "injury". it sucks because I really like deads and was still making progress on them.

Anyway here is my new journal, any comments, suggestions are always welcome as usual.

I don’t know my 8 rep maxes but I will take my 4th set form my 5x5 journal and use that as my 8 rep max. I will punch those maxes into the madcow spresd sheet and use set 1, 3 and 5 for my 3 sets.

Friday I was thinking of repeating monday but adding a heavier tipple.

Wed I’m not sure if I should stick with the 4 x 5 set up or go 3 x 8 for military press.

The 8 rep maxes I will be using are

Squat = 210
bench = 190
Rows = 170
OHP = 120

I assume these are a little conservative which sill be good.

After punching the numbers into the spread sheet todays workout will look like this.

Squat
95 x 8
145 x 8
195 x 8

Bench
85 x 8
135 x 8
175 x 8

Rows
80 x 8
120 x 8
155 x 8

Hypers

Sit ups.

We'll see how it goes today.

 

[fortunatesun]

Here's something that might be useful if you're not DL:http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0886.htm
My thinking is that no DL=more time+energy. This is something sport specific and the increase in stablity and balance should translate to a better situation for your lower back when you return to DL. Unilateral work can often be a useful resource.

 

[djeclipse]

Here's something that might be useful if you're not DL:http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0886.htm
My thinking is that no DL=more time+energy. This is something sport specific and the increase in stablity and balance should translate to a better situation for your lower back when you return to DL. Unilateral work can often be a useful resource.

I am already squatting 3x per week. And still need some kind of a pull on Wed.

The one legged squat.. has anyone actually done these? I'd be afraid it could potentially do more dammage then good...?

 

[fortunatesun]

Ja, 3x is enough. One leg squats are good for sports that involve running. I suggested it as an assistance exercise that probably wouldn't interfere with game day and would have useful carryover. Here's another link:http://www.elitefts.com/documents/pistol_power.htm

 

[Cynical Simian]

Nice. I think you'll like this as a break from the heavier weights, especially while cutting.

Repeating Monday's workout on Friday would be one option. Another possibility would be to make it a "link" to the following Monday as in the 5-rep version with a ramp up to a lower-rep set with the weight you'll use for 8 on Monday (5 or 6 reps). Then you could follow that with an even higher rep backoff (10 or 12 reps for TEH MAD PUMP) or a heavier triple like you're currently planning to do.

I don't see any reason not to do 8 reps for OHP. It's not like front squats or Oly lifts where you'd want to keep the reps lower (for reasons of staying conscious and form, respectively).

 

[djeclipse]

Nice. I think you'll like this as a break from the heavier weights, especially while cutting.

That was kind of my thinking. i know some people have also contemplated doing a 3 x 8 after the 5x5 but no one has posted a journal. I still expect to make gains in the 8 rep range, but I think my body will thank me as am much more active in the summer which hurts recovery. especially while cutting.

Repeating Monday's workout on Friday would be one option. Another possibility would be to make it a "link" to the following Monday as in the 5-rep version with a ramp up to a lower-rep set with the weight you'll use for 8 on Monday (5 or 6 reps). Then you could follow that with an even higher rep backoff (10 or 12 reps for THE MAD PUMP) or a heavier triple like you're currently planning to do.

I was kind of thinking the same thing. Set 3would be mondays weigt for 6 reps and set 4 would be a heavier tripple. But I guess I could do a set to 10 or 12 reps but do I really need that "pump". I am expecting to get more of a pump with the higher rep working sets anyway.

Which do you recommend for he 4th set, the heavier tripple or the lighter 10-12 rep set.

I don't see any reason not to do 8 reps for OHP. It's not like front squats or Oly lifts where you'd want to keep the reps lower (for reasons of staying conscious and form, respectively).

Ok so I'll use 8's for OHP also. My starting max weight for those will be 120 x 8 as I’m not sure if I could get 125 x 8 (which was my last warm up set).

I am leaning towards power cleans on wed also but I think I want to keep it to 4x5 asI don't want to be doing so many reps on a lift I need to learn still.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Sorry to take so long to reply. I had to go a couple minutes after making that last post.

For the last set on Friday, I think it's mostly personal preference since the set isn't a maximal effort or something you'd be pushing a lot from week to week. You could even just do another set of 8 if all you want to do is add volume, although I've found that a different number of reps is a nice change of pace. You wouldn't be in danger of having too much volume with a 10/12-repper since the ramping keeps overall volume pretty low. The only possible issue with a triple would be weight acclimation, since even with the ramped sets of 8 as a warmup you might have to do a single or two to get to a non-trivial weight to use for a triple.

Basically, just experiment with it. Trying, say, a 12-rep backoff in week 1 then a 3-rep backoff (backon?) in week 2 won't hurt your progress since it's the 8s that're driving your strength gains anyway. You might find that you (or your joints) want a complete break from anything below 5 reps or, alternatively, that triples (or singles or doubles if you want to do that instead) are fun and make that top set of 8 feel/seem lighter the following Monday.

That was a lot of rambling for a non-answer, huh?

 

[djeclipse]

Sorry to take so long to reply. I had to go a couple minutes after making that last post.

For the last set on Friday, I think it's mostly personal preference since the set isn't a maximal effort or something you'd be pushing a lot from week to week. You could even just do another set of 8 if all you want to do is add volume, although I've found that a different number of reps is a nice change of pace. You wouldn't be in danger of having too much volume with a 10/12-repper since the ramping keeps overall volume pretty low. The only possible issue with a triple would be weight acclimation, since even with the ramped sets of 8 as a warmup you might have to do a single or two to get to a non-trivial weight to use for a triple.

Basically, just experiment with it. Trying, say, a 12-rep backoff in week 1 then a 3-rep backoff (backon?) in week 2 won't hurt your progress since it's the 8s that're driving your strength gains anyway. You might find that you (or your joints) want a complete break from anything below 5 reps or, alternatively, that triples (or singles or doubles if you want to do that instead) are fun and make that top set of 8 feel/seem lighter the following Monday.

That was a lot of rambling for a non-answer, huh?

It was a good reply, I understood the rumblings. You do bring up a good point though about the tripple. One of the reasons for doing the 8's is to be lifting lighter weight and give my back a rest. The heavier tipple kind of defeats the purpose, os maybe I'll stick with the 12 repper and get that m3d puMp Yo!.

 

[Protobuilder]

You're not going to like me . . .

I think you'll like this as a break from the heavier weights, especially while cutting.

This isn't a bad idea, but not the best either, IMO. I'm not saying there's only one way to do it, so don't get pissed, but IMO, cutting is a good time to keep it heavy. I"m not talking going super heavy, pushing max's, etc. b/c calorie deficit + superheavy = injuryville . . . but a good way to help your body dump calorically-expensive muscle is to underfeed it while withdrawing the heavy stimulus. The heavy weights tell the body, "Hey, we need that muscle b/c we're working hard!!" LoL If you start doing pumping type stuff and stay away from the heavy stuff, you'll send the good ol' hypertrophy signal, but won't have any calories to back it up . . . and you won't grow any muscle (or very little) but you might start losing some of it b/c your body thinks it doesn't need it anymore. E.g., sit on the couch long enough, your muscles start going away . . .

Maybe 8s are heavy enough that that won't happen though. On 2d thought, they're probably just fine. I could see this being a problem if you started doing light sets of 15 though, which you aren't so . . . I have no point.

FWIW, I went from 200 (38.5" waist, 27% BF) to 157 (31" waist, 13%BF) over the past year or so. I also ran a 5x5 cycle, contemplated a 3x8 cycle, even posted about it in my journal, but w/in 2 weeks, I'd "tweaked" it and guess what . . . wound up w/ something awfully close to 5x5 again. LoL Now, I just do 5x5. LoL

 

[djeclipse]

I see your point, but hopefully the 8's and the progression (adding weight to the bar every week) will be enough for me to make strangth gains.

Off to the gym now, we'll see how day 1 goes.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Maybe 8s are heavy enough that that won't happen though. On 2d thought, they're probably just fine. I could see this being a problem if you started doing light sets of 15 though, which you aren't so . . . I have no point.

I went through the thought process you described about a month ago when deciding what to do during a post-5x5 cut and basically arrived at the above conclusion.

On one hand, all other things being equal, I would've preferred to "save" the 8s for a hypercaloric phase. But, looking at the proverbial big picture I decided that after a long run of 5s and 3s my joints needed a lighter phase. The 8s seemed like a good way to go while still building/maintaing strength that would carry over to the the more typical 4-6 rep range and not giving my body a license to throw away muscle.

 

[Mercere]

I see your point, but hopefully the 8's and the progression (adding weight to the bar every week) will be enough for me to make strangth gains.

Off to the gym now, we'll see how day 1 goes.

Good luck! Hope you fully recover soon.

 

[djeclipse]

FWIW, I went from 200 (38.5" waist, 27% BF) to 157 (31" waist, 13%BF) over the past year or so.

That is a huge change, congrats!

 

[djeclipse]

I took off work yesterday to watch Italy kick some German ass! So here is my mondays workout.

BW today was 176.4lbs, played soccer last night, scored a goal, set up 2 other goals.

My game has much improved at this lighter BW. I am faster, more agile and able to do what my brian tells me to do. The only draw back is when going up against heavier defenders I do get pushed around a little.

Week 1 Day 1 (mon)

The weights felt heavy for the 8 rep range. I don't know if I guessed wrong on the weights or if it was just taking the week off and my body not being conditioned to the 8 rep range. I got all my reps but I was expecting them to be a little easier then they were.

Squat
95 x 8
145 x 8
195 x 8

Bench
85 x 8
135 x 8
175 x 8

Rows
80 x 8
120 x 8
155 x 8

hypers
20 x 14
20 x 14
20 x 14

sit ups
30 x 15
30 x 15
30 x 15
30 x 15

Grip
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10

My lower back had a little pain but nothing bad. I helped a buddy move yesterday and its bothering me a little. Hopefully today will go well.

 

[djeclipse]

Today will look like this, feel free to give opinions, comments if you think I should change anything.

squat
95 x 8
145 x 8 (should I do this twice?)

military press
70 x 8
90 x 8
110 x 8

Cleans

Not sure about these, I'll start at 95lbs doing sets of 5 and see how it goes. I was thinking about 4 sets of 5 for these.

Chins

needsize crunches

 

[Tweakle]

I'd suggest one heavier set then a backdown, that way you get the best of both worlds

maybe lighter rack deads from above the knee for high reps (10-20) might help the back problem

good work on the dieting so far

 

[djeclipse]

I'd suggest one heavier set then a backdown, that way you get the best of both worlds

You're talking about the cleans right? I like that idea.

Of course today will be simply feeling out the lift as I have never done them before except for getting my military press weight up from the floor.

maybe lighter rack deads from above the knee for high reps (10-20) might help the back problem

This sounds good also, but the only problem is the gym doesn't have a power rack, just a lame non adjustable squat rack. I'd have to use the smith machine...

Should I do them with the smith machine, and #2 how high above the knee do I set the bar?

 

[Cynical Simian]

Not sure about the cleans, but I don't remember seeing them for more than 3 reps in any of the journals around here. Just something to consider - see how well your form holds up from rep to rep. Like you said, it's not a big deal today since you'll be going light to learn the movement regardless.

With squats, I think you'd be fine with two sets at that weight or with a ramp to one set at ~80% of your Monday weight. A couple sets at that weight won't kill you, especially since your total load is less without conventional deads. Have you considered adding power/jump shrugs somewhere? They'd be good for trap development and would provide a bit of grip work as well but probably wouldn't cause any back issues like the deads.

 

[djeclipse]

Week 1 day 2 (wed)

BW this morning was 176.4lbs

Bare with me, this will be a long entry as I have issues with my squat, cleans and a few other things.

I finally was able to have someone look at my squat form. It's the only guy there that actually squats properly and knows a little about power lifting etc.

1. Right away he said my feet were too close together, I thought they were shoulder width but they were closer then shoulder width.

The next set I tried it with feet a little wider and it felt much better.

2. He said I was bouncing at the bottom (never realized I was) and I needed to take a slower descent.

So I have form issues, luckily I a starting over with light weight so I can really work on correcting these issues. I wonder if the bouncing was part of my lower back problem.

Cleans (from the floor)

I am not really sure how to do these, I have a few issues that I know of.

1. When to make the move to dive under the bar? A few times I'd pull real hard and the bar would fly up to almost my chin. Maybe it's just too light?

2. Catching position. I can not for the life of me get my elbows straight out like that. It must be a flexibility issue as my elbows are almost at my sides, palms facing up though.

I worked up to 145 for sets of 5, I don't know my true max as 145 seemed pretty easy. I will try to get a vid next week as I need help, lol. I do like the lift though.

I tried rack pulls but had to use those plastic steps sitting on some plates to get the bar just above my knees (the gym doesn't have an adjustable power rack). I went light but still got that small pain when I let go of the bar after the set so I will stay away from these for a few more weeks.

I did get a huge bruise form the bar ripping on my leg during the lift. I think it’s because of the prednisone which lead me to believe that the prednisone could also be a factor in my lower back pain. I can't wait till I'm off this stuff, it sucks ass.

As for the 3 x 8, it really doesn't feel like enough work. I am able to get through my sets fairly fast which is good. But it is only the first week, the 5x5 seemed like it wasn't enough work either in the first week, lol

Squat
95 x 8
145 x 8
145 x 8

Military press
70 x 8
90 x 8
110 x 8

cleans
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
145 x 5

rack pulls (kind of)
225 x 10
265 x 10

Chins
5lbs x 6 x 3

Needsize abs (with stop watch)
7.5 x 5
7.5 x 5
7.5 x 5
7.5 x 5

 

[mm107]

just stopping by to say goodluck with the new journal, since u are one of the journals i read daily!

GOOD LUCK bro, let us know how the new rep scheme feels.

 

[djeclipse]

just stopping by to say goodluck with the new journal, since u are one of the journals i read daily!

GOOD LUCK bro, let us know how the new rep scheme feels.

Thanks. We'll see how the rep scheme goes when I get to weeks 3 and 4...

 

[Cynical Simian]

Might I suggest that you take a vid to get some more input on your squat before worrying about tweaking stuff? I know you said the guy squats properly, but some input from the gang here couldn't hurt. For some people, the stance that allows them to get deepest might be a bit narrower than shoulder width, and with bounce there's a fine line between keeping a good pace and being too loose at the bottom (which is hard on the knees).

 

[djeclipse]

Might I suggest that you take a vid to get some more input on your squat before worrying about tweaking stuff? I know you said the guy squats properly, but some input from the gang here couldn't hurt. For some people, the stance that allows them to get deepest might be a bit narrower than shoulder width, and with bounce there's a fine line between keeping a good pace and being too loose at the bottom (which is hard on the knees).

ya, I was panning on taling a video tomorrow.

I assume the best angle would be form the side, partially in fornt, like my deadlift vid?

 

[xblitz44x]

Cleans (from the floor)

I am not really sure how to do these, I have a few issues that I know of.

1. When to make the move to dive under the bar? A few times I'd pull real hard and the bar would fly up to almost my chin. Maybe it's just too light?

2. Catching position. I can not for the life of me get my elbows straight out like that. It must be a flexibility issue as my elbows are almost at my sides, palms facing up though.

Guys like BigT will be able to help you more with this but I'll give my two cents...

If the weight is too light then the bar will travel up quicker than you'd like. In this case you probably just don't have to dip as low, but still make sure you're concentrating on pulling yourself under that bar as fast as possible. As the weight gets heavier, you won't be able to pull as high so you'll have no choice but to dip lower. Another thing, make sure that you're not doing an upright row. Your power should come from your legs driving your straight arms up then when you've reached the 'power shrug' portion of the lift, instead of bending the arms and rowing it, dive under it. If those elbows bend you've wasted the leg drive and are relying on arm and shoulder strength which is the reason why a lot of claimed 'cleaners' attribute shoulder problems to the movement.

As far as the elbows straight out thing during the catch, I have no idea and am working on this myself. My fingers can't possibly stay wrapped around the bar even a little bit if my elbows are out like that. Hopefully somebody else can help you (us) with that question.

 

[Cynical Simian]

I assume the best angle would be form the side, partially in fornt, like my deadlift vid?

Yeah, I think so. Slightly to the back might be a bit better than slightly in front for gauging depth, but just do whatever works with where you can conveniently place the camera during the set.

 

[djeclipse]

Yeah, I think so. Slightly to the back might be a bit better than slightly in front for gauging depth, but just do whatever works with where you can conveniently place the camera during the set.

I can place the camera where ever.

 

[djeclipse]

Guys like BigT will be able to help you more with this but I'll give my two cents...

If the weight is too light then the bar will travel up quicker than you'd like. In this case you probably just don't have to dip as low, but still make sure you're concentrating on pulling yourself under that bar as fast as possible. As the weight gets heavier, you won't be able to pull as high so you'll have no choice but to dip lower. Another thing, make sure that you're not doing an upright row. Your power should come from your legs driving your straight arms up then when you've reached the 'power shrug' portion of the lift, instead of bending the arms and rowing it, dive under it. If those elbows bend you've wasted the leg drive and are relying on arm and shoulder strength which is the reason why a lot of claimed 'cleaners' attribute shoulder problems to the movement.

As far as the elbows straight out thing during the catch, I have no idea and am working on this myself. My fingers can't possibly stay wrapped around the bar even a little bit if my elbows are out like that. Hopefully somebody else can help you (us) with that question.

Thanks for the help, I wonder if I was doing an upright row... I guess the vid wil show.

 

[anotherbutters]

You've done front squats before, haven't you? Those will give you practise at holding your rack, get you used to how a good rack feels and exactly where the bar sits, and hopefully they'll increase your flexibility too. I usually end up with the bar on my fingertips, but I really push my elbows up as high as I can.

 

[djeclipse]

You've done front squats before, haven't you? Those will give you practise at holding your rack, get you used to how a good rack feels and exactly where the bar sits, and hopefully they'll increase your flexibility too. I usually end up with the bar on my fingertips, but I really push my elbows up as high as I can.

Never done front squats.

 

[anotherbutters]

Give them a go. Work them into your routine somehow. It's much easier getting your rack right when you can walk up to the bar in a power rack and get comfortable before you take the weight.

 

[djeclipse]

Yesterday was a decent workout, I was ab;e to get a squat video of myself and I see I ahve some issues.

I posted the vid here

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=494913

I need some help with form.

I'll post my reps etc. as usual on monday.

 

[djeclipse]

Finally got a chance to post up fridays W/O. Thanks to all that replied to my squat vid thread.

Week 1 Day 3 (fri)

I decided to do ramping weights with the 3rd set being 6x mondays final 8 rep set, followed by an 11 rep back off (figured why not use an odd number for once, lol).

I have to say that my conditioning sucks as those 11 reppers, (especially for the squats) left me out of breath and tired. I can't imagine doing 20 rep squats of even light weight, it's so exhausting.

My lower back is still bothering me, after doing each set of rows it would hurt when standing up. I'm not sure what to do.

Squat
95 x 8
145 x 8
200 x 6
145 x 11

Bench
85 x 8
135 x 8
180 x 6
135 x 11

Rows
80 x 8
120 x 8
160 x 6
120 x 11

Dips
25 x 9
25 x 9
25 x 9

Seated tri extension
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 8

barbell curl, strict form
75 x 7
75 x 7
75 x 7

 

[Mercere]

I'm very interested in how this goes. Do you calculate your total tonnage or do you go by feel?

 

[djeclipse]

I'm very interested in how this goes. Do you calculate your total tonnage or do you go by feel?

I simply took my 8 rep maxes, plugged them into madcows intermediate 5x5 spread sheet and used sets 1, 3 and 5 weights. The set of 6 and 11 on friday I just threw in there, I didn't calculate tonage or anything.

I know it's less then the 5x5 as I did do some initial calculations before starting.

 

[djeclipse]

I forgot my journal at home yesterday so I am just getting this up today.

Week 2 Day 1

I was 175.0 on the scale today. I took some pics the other day I have to upload them. I am looking better up top but I still have that gut.

I feel skinny at this BW and think I may need to drop to 170 in order to get rid of the gut completely. I really don't want to go lower then that though. I have lost some size on my arms and probably the rest of me form the cutting.

Squats felt much better today, as usual my back is still a pain but not that bad. I think I lost some strength in my legs as 200 x 8 felt heavy.

Bench went fine, felt much better then week 1, same with rows.

Squat
100 x 8
150 x 8
200 x 8

Bench
90 x 8
135 x 8
180 x 8

Rows
85 x 8
120 x 8
160 x 8

Hypers
20 x 15
20 x 15
20 x 15

sit ups
30 x 16
30 x 16
30 x 16

grip
70 x 7
70 x 7
70 x 7

I am looking forward to trying cleans agian today as it's a new lift.I'm not sure what weight to use though as last weeks 145 x 5 felt easy.

 

[mm107]

How is the 3x8 scheme working for you? Easy still?

Im gonna come off the 5x5 for about 1 month, and jump right back on it when im done, but when im done is when i platue so it could be some time.

Thanks for loggin the new idea.

 

[djeclipse]

How is the 3x8 scheme working for you? Easy still?

Im gonna come off the 5x5 for about 1 month, and jump right back on it when im done, but when im done is when i platue so it could be some time.

Thanks for loggin the new idea.

I am starting to enjoy the 3 x 8 scheme. I am able to get through my work outs pretty fast and those 8 reppers are a good chang form the 5x5. I am only in week 2 so they're not super easy but I am able to get all my reps in (as I should be).

We'll see how it goes by week 4 and if I will be able to make PR's in the 8 rep range. I assume the conditioning with the 8 reppers will really help me when I go back to the 5x5.

 

[djeclipse]

Week 2 day 2 (wed)

BW = 175.0 this morning.

I only did 2 sets of squats today as I got to the gym late, I may stick with just the 2 sets for wed for the rest of the journal.

OHP went well, got all reps.

I have a video of my cleans, I think they need help, the thread is here.

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=495902



Squat
100 x 8
150 x 8

Military Press Standing
70 x 8
100 x 8
115 x 8

Cleans
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5

Chins
7.5 x 5
7.5 x 5
7.5 x 5

Needsize abs
10 x 5
10 x 5
10 x 5
10 x 5

 

[mm107]

nice work bro, is needsize abs the 45lb plate negative hold for 5s?

if not could ya ellaborate?

Nice work bro, ull get the form trust me!

i gotta start doing them =]

 

[djeclipse]

nice work bro, is needsize abs the 45lb plate negative hold for 5s?

if not could ya ellaborate?

Nice work bro, ull get the form trust me!

i gotta start doing them =]

needsize abs are decline sit ups, hold your body parallel to the floor 5 seconds (then I go down and come back up), that is one rep.

I was using a 10lb dumbell on my chest and a stop watch to count for me.

 

[djeclipse]

Better late then never.

Week 3 day 1 (mon)

Squat felt real heavy, I wondr if it's becasue of my reduced BW. Those extra 2 reps are starting to get hard.

Squat
100 x 8
155 x 8
205 x 8

Bench
95 x 8
140 x 8
185 x 8

Rows
95 x 8
125 x 8
165 x 8

Hypers
35 x 13
35 x 11
35 x 11

Sit ups
35 x 16
35 x 16
35 x 16
35 x 16

 

[djeclipse]

I am in need of guidance as what to do for today with cleans.

I will switch to front squat instead of light back squat.
But my clean form was so bad.

Someone suggested hanging cleans tog et the form down, but my form is so horrible I don't know what to do. I am contemplating dropping the lift completely but I don’t know what to put in it's place.

I just can't seem to get the diving under the bar thing.

 

[djeclipse]

Week 3 day 2, supposed to be wed, but I missed wed and had to go thursday.

Unfortunately I won't be abel to ge tot the gym today either so I will repeat week 3 again as far as squat bench and rows go.

In my clean video thread http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=495902

BiggT suggested doing RDL's and power shrugs along with the front squats to prepare me for proper clean form. I think it was a great idea, I did the power shrugs from the floor and I really think it will help when I try cleans again.

I will elaborate more in that thread.

Front squats were weird. my wrists hurt from the angle they were at, I barly had my finger tips on the bar as it was resting on my shoulders. I really need to work on my form.

[Front squats
95 x 8
95 x 8
95 x 8

Military press
75 x 8
100 x 8
117.5 x 8

RDL's
135 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5

Jump shrugs
135 x 8
185 x 8
225 x 8

Chins
10 x 5
10 x 5
10 x 5

needsize abs
10 x 5
10 x 5
10 x 5
10 x 5

 

[solarclimax]

Holding the rack position and keeping fingers on the bar will get easier. Sometimes what can seem to be wrist inflexability can actually be tricep inflexability. Stretch out your triceps a little before your first set.

 

[djeclipse]

Holding the rack position and keeping fingers on the bar will get easier. Sometimes what can seem to be wrist inflexability can actually be tricep inflexability. Stretch out your triceps a little before your first set.

Thanks for the tip, I never thought of that. I'll give my tries a nice stretch before doing front squats tomorrow.

 

[djeclipse]

Due to my schedule friday I wasn;t able to get ot the gym.

So I just repeated last mondays workout yesterday.

Week 3- again (monday)

I am staying at about 174lbs but my gut is down another .5" to 35.5"

For some reason the squat is getting harder, I almost didn't get my last rep. I assume it's becasue of the cutting, can't wiat till I can start eating agian and making pr's.

Squat
100 x 8
155 x 8
205 x 8

Bench
95 x 8
140 x 8
185 x 8

Rows
95 x 8
125 x 8
165 x 8

Hypers
35 x 14
35 x 12
35 x 12

Sit ups
40 x 14
40 x 14
40 x 14
40 x 14

 

[mm107]

How are the jumpshrugs? i wanna do them so bad. I think i try them shruggin on the machine but i doubt it looks normal lol

 

[djeclipse]

How are the jumpshrugs? i wanna do them so bad. I think i try them shruggin on the machine but i doubt it looks normal lol

i really like the jump shrugs, they will help my clean form for sure.

I do them from the floor, they feel really good. I'm not sure what weight I should be suing, but 225 x 8 felt a little light. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

 

[Cynical Simian]

I don't know whether you should be too concerned about squats. It might've just been the time off. Also, if the size of the jump from set 2 to set 3 is a problem or starts to be one, you could add a single between sets to get you up to the weight.

Also, a random thought: you might want to throw in some more grip work to ensure that it's not an issue when you return to deads (although the jump shrugs might be sufficient).

Continued congrats on the cut.

 

[djeclipse]

I don't know whether you should be too concerned about squats. It might've just been the time off. Also, if the size of the jump from set 2 to set 3 is a problem or starts to be one, you could add a single between sets to get you up to the weight.

Also, a random thought: you might want to throw in some more grip work to ensure that it's not an issue when you return to deads (although the jump shrugs might be sufficient).

Continued congrats on the cut.

Thanks again, I may throw in a single between my 2nd and 3rd set. Never thought of that.

I usually do some wrist curls on mondays but left them out this week.

 

[carlsuen]

yo dj.. will u be posting your diet this time round? cuz u sure did a good job last round.. and i'm looking to lower the BF too while 5x5-ing..

 

[djeclipse]

My current diet hasn't changed at all (except fr when I cheat).

It's been the exact same since I started cutting. It got me form 197lbs to 174lbs in about 2 month's. None of my pants fit anymore, even the ones that were too tight, I need to wear a belt.

The last few weeks I've been cheating a little on my diet and have stayed ruoghly the same weight.

The final version is somehere in my old 5x5 thread, I'll see if I can find it.

 

[solarclimax]

Good stuff on the dieting, do you have a rough idea of how much bodyfat u have lost ?
23lbs loss in 2 months i imagine u have lost a bit of muscle, but well done for losing 23lbs.
I have probably lost about 2 lbs in around 3 months

 

[djeclipse]

I looked and I can't find my final version of the diet. but you may want to look through the old thread as it has a lot of good diet info in there as I was completely lost as far as diet goes when I first started.

Here is my current diet. I eliminated dairy.

I bought a little digital food scale and I weigh eveything out before eating it, I prepare most of my meals the night before, takes me 10min or so.

Breakfast 8:30
3.5oz chicken (boneless, skin removed) weight after cooking
30g oat bran cereal, no sugar or honey added.

Cals, 305
Fat, 10
Carbs, 20
Prot, 33

Meal 2 11:30
1 can flaked light tuna in water (120g roughly drained)
one small apple

Cals, 189
Fat, 1
Carbs, 16
Prot, 30

Lunch 1:30-2:00
Chicken pita, extra chicken, salsa, cheese (no taziki sauce or anything like that)
Salad with cue cumber & carrots, no dressing, just vinegar (I like it that way)

Cals, 636
Fat, 16
Carbs, 66
Prot, 54

Meal 4 4:30 or 1hr before work out
30g whole oats
50g almonds
1 protein shake

Cals, 492
Fat, 19
Carbs, 39
Prot, 37

On work out days I have 1kiwi 30min before going to the gym. Post work out shake for days I go to the gym (monday, wed, fri)

Dinner/ meal 5 8:30 -9:00
5.7oz boneless skinless chicken (weighed after cooking)
30g brown rice
1.5-2 cups mixed veggeies steamed.

Cals, 461
Fat, 13
Carbs, 33
Prot, 51

I add salt to the veggies as I found I was getting muscle twitches and leg cramps for the lack of salt in my diet. After adding the salt the muscle twitches and cramps went away.

The days I have soccer I will split meal 5 in 2. Eat half 1hr before soccer and the other half when i get home.

Total for non work out days =

Cals = 2083
Fat = 59g
Carbs = 174g
Prot = 205g

 

[djeclipse]

Good stuff on the dieting, do you have a rough idea of how much bodyfat u have lost ?
23lbs loss in 2 months i imagine u have lost a bit of muscle, but well done for losing 23lbs.
I have probably lost about 2 lbs in around 3 months

I wish I knew body fat before and after but I never had it checked and don't have calipers.

I do have pics along the way though, maybe one day I will post them. I need to get them off my GF's computer and on the net.

My gut (around the belly button) was 40" when I started, now it's 35.5". I am finally looking a little vascular with the vein in the bies, you can see my abs etc. I still have a ways to go around the gut though as I don't want to start adding weight till the gut is completely gone.

It is funny, I have lost strength and probably some muscle, and a little size in areas like my bies etc. as far as real dimensions go.

But now that I am more cut, everyone at the gym (well the ones I bother to talk to) says I am bigger and don't believe me when I say I've lost strength and some size. Size vs strength is just an illusion. lol

I'm not worried about the strength/muscle loss as I am very confident that I will be able to gain it back (with the 5x5) much faster then it has taken me to lose this fat.

If you really want to loose some fat geta diet planed out and stick to it. The first week is the hardest, once our stomach/ body gets used to the way you're feeding it, it’s not bad at all.

 

[silver_shadow]

But now that I am more cut, everyone at the gym (well the ones I bother to talk to) says I am bigger and don't believe me when I say I've lost strength and some size. Size vs strength is just an illusion. lol

it's quite simply the chest to waist ratio. a smaller waist just makes your chest look that much larger and vice versa. off course if your 400lbs, people will know you're big anyway lol.

 

[mm107]

good job DJ, honestly. I lost all/most my belly fat before bulking up, so it was easier to cut. your def doing a great job! keep it up.

 

[carlsuen]

damn.. i'm gonna need some help then.. i'll take some measurements today and will start to plan my diet which sucks actually..

but congrats DJ!! u certainly derserved the 'cut' look.. haha! does the ego good when ppl say u look 'bigger'.. haha!

 

[djeclipse]

damn.. i'm gonna need some help then.. i'll take some measurements today and will start to plan my diet which sucks actually..

but congrats DJ!! u certainly derserved the 'cut' look.. haha! does the ego good when ppl say u look 'bigger'.. haha!

Post up your diet and I'm sure you'll get more then enough help to get it sorted.

Go to www.fitday.com and put i everythig you eat, it will give you the break down of carbs, cal's, prot, fat so you can kepe track. Once you have a base outline you can tewak it for your current goals.

My ego is quite in check. I may look bigger/ better (still no where near being really "cut") to some people, but I know I am smaller and not as strong as I was when I had more body fat. Not to mention the ego check I get daily from watching some of the memebrs vids here. I have a long way to go.

silver_shadow you're so right about the chest to waist ratio...

 

[Tweakle]

that little voice is going to be piping up soon reminding you that you were stronger with the extra bodyfat, don't listen to it

sticking at 12%ish should make it possible to get enough calories and protien to grow and its a good place to be if you want to do another cut anytime soon.

 

[djeclipse]

that little voice is going to be piping up soon reminding you that you were stronger with the extra bodyfat, don't listen to it

It's more of the little voice that says, eat that bag of doritos and buy that package of powdery donuts, they be mmmm good.

And then that voice talks to the strength voice that says "you were stronger when you were a fat ass" lol

sticking at 12%ish should make it possible to get enough calories and protien to grow and it’s a good place to be if you want to do another cut anytime soon.

I think 12% would be nice, I don't think I'm anywhere near 12% though. I am still fat...

 

[carlsuen]

so i posted my diet and pics over at my thread but no response so far..

 

[anotherbutters]

I wish I knew body fat before and after but I never had it checked and don't have calipers.

I do have pics along the way though, maybe one day I will post them. I need to get them off my GF's computer and on the net.

My gut (around the belly button) was 40" when I started, now it's 35.5". I am finally looking a little vascular with the vein in the bies, you can see my abs etc. I still have a ways to go around the gut though as I don't want to start adding weight till the gut is completely gone.

It is funny, I have lost strength and probably some muscle, and a little size in areas like my bies etc. as far as real dimensions go.

But now that I am more cut, everyone at the gym (well the ones I bother to talk to) says I am bigger and don't believe me when I say I've lost strength and some size. Size vs strength is just an illusion. lol

I'm not worried about the strength/muscle loss as I am very confident that I will be able to gain it back (with the 5x5) much faster then it has taken me to lose this fat.

If you really want to loose some fat geta diet planed out and stick to it. The first week is the hardest, once our stomach/ body gets used to the way you're feeding it, it’s not bad at all.

Just catching up on your progress. Brilliant work DJ! The above thoughts are exactly what I was going to ask you about. It seems tweakle is doing the rounds, trying to get us fatties to cut and it's my turn next . How much weight did you think you'd have to lose before you got down to your target bodyfat? I'm 186lb and I'm guessing I could lose 15-20lb.

 

[djeclipse]

Well this journal is a wash, lol We've bene looking at houses and the onlytime we ahve is after work (wheni usually go to the gym). I've missed a few days now, i hope to be back at it friday. The good news is my back is feeling much better so the time off did some good.

Just catching up on your progress. Brilliant work DJ! The above thoughts are exactly what I was going to ask you about. It seems tweakle is doing the rounds, trying to get us fatties to cut and it's my turn next . How much weight did you think you'd have to lose before you got down to your target bodyfat? I'm 186lb and I'm guessing I could lose 15-20lb.

Sadily enough to get to a decent body fat where I no longer havea gut and soe lower abs... it looks like I'll have to get down to 165lbs or so. I don't want to be this light but I am still cairying a lot of fat at my current BW of 173 ish)

If I get down there it will be a total of 30+lbs lost. I ahve bene cheating on my diet the last week or so also. Not too bad, I haven't gained any weight, but I haven't lost any either.

 

[anotherbutters]

165? That'd be like starting all over again

 

[djeclipse]

165? That'd be like starting all over again

Not for me, I started at 185. I am much stronger and have mrre muscle now at 173 then I did when I started at 185, that's for sure.

 

[Cynical Simian]

So what's the plan for the rest of the cut? You could pretend you planned this as a strategic deconditioning week and then do 6 weeks of HST to get close to your target weight.

Good luck finding a house, although with the way prices have been you might want to wait for the market to crash (or at least fall back a bit). Then again, I don't know much about the Canadian housing market or your finances, so you might want to ignore me.

 

[djeclipse]

So what's the plan for the rest of the cut? You could pretend you planned this as a strategic deconditioning week and then do 6 weeks of HST to get close to your target weight.

I think I will reset the 3 x 8 and continue on with it for a while. then in a few weeks when the summer is over I should be near where I want to be as far as BF goes, and it’s back to the 5x5 intermediate. I want to start deadlifting again by then also.

Good luck finding a house, although with the way prices have been you might want to wait for the market to crash (or at least fall back a bit). Then again, I don't know much about the Canadian housing market or your finances, so you might want to ignore me.

The market here is turning, there are a lot of houses sitting as people are asking way too much, trying to take advantage of a so called "sellers market". interest rates are still decent, but we're in no rush we have criteria we're looking for and a certain price range, if everything doesn't match we keep looking.

We did find one house we really liked, but the guy was asking 30,000 more then any house sold in the neighbourhood recently. And the house needed some work. Some people are just insane. The house has been sitting for month's already.

 

[silver_shadow]

The house has been sitting for month's already.

i wonder why

 

[djeclipse]

i wonder why

Ya, the guy is an ass. It's a private sale and he literally has an open house all day every day any time. It's right by where I work and his open house sign is up all day and night. I guess he could care less about his families privacy as he parades potential buyers through the house at 9:00pm on a week day. lol

After we ut in our offer which was 30g's less then his asking price but a very fair offer for the house his wife quickly got a pen and paper to get my number, he on the other hand was stubborn as a mule and said he didn’t need it. He took it anyway. If they call I instantly drop the price 10g's fro being such ass holes in the first place.